Published: Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 11:35 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 11:35 a.m.

The state Commerce Department said Tuesday the state's jobless rate dropped from 7.4 percent in November. The reported unemployment rate fell 2.5 percentage points last year.

The report shows that during 2013 almost 125,000 fewer people were reported as unemployed. Gov. Pat McCrory started taking credit this month for an economic comeback he says resulted from Republican tax cuts and fewer business regulations.

But economists say the fast drop in the unemployment rate could be because so many people have become discouraged, are giving up on finding a job and are no longer being counted.

The state's population of working-age adults who are looking for jobs shrank by 111,000 in 2013.

<p>RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina's unemployment rate fell to 6.9 percent in December.</p><p>The state Commerce Department said Tuesday the state's jobless rate dropped from 7.4 percent in November. The reported unemployment rate fell 2.5 percentage points last year.</p><p>The report shows that during 2013 almost 125,000 fewer people were reported as unemployed. Gov. Pat McCrory started taking credit this month for an economic comeback he says resulted from Republican tax cuts and fewer business regulations.</p><p>But economists say the fast drop in the unemployment rate could be because so many people have become discouraged, are giving up on finding a job and are no longer being counted.</p><p>The state's population of working-age adults who are looking for jobs shrank by 111,000 in 2013.</p>